One-piece plastic z-based foundation for guardrails, solar panel arrays and other structures

ABSTRACT

A one-piece plastic z-based foundation suitable for guardrails, ground based solar panel arrays and other structures includes a longitudinally extending main body; a rear flange extending at an angle from at least a longitudinal portion of the main body in a first direction at a rear edge of the main body; a front flange extending at an angle from a longitudinal portion of the main body in a direction opposite the first direction at a front edge of the main body; an integral offset spacing plate coupled to a front edge of the main body above the front flange and extending laterally forward of the front flange; and a mounting flange extending at an angle from at least a longitudinal portion of the offset spacing plate at a front edge of the offset spacing plate, wherein the mounting flange is configured for mounting of a guardrail or other structure.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to one-piece plastic foundations for guardrails, solar panel arrays and other structures.

2. Background Information

Along many roadways it is often hazardous for a vehicle to leave the roadway. As a result, roadway safety barriers, most commonly guardrail systems, are used along roadways. The guardrail systems, also called generically called guiderails, can act to contain and redirect an errant vehicle along such roadways. Such guardrail systems may dissipate some of the vehicle’s energy through deformation of the rail or post, or both. Some literature has suggested that the term “guardrail” is inaccurate and inappropriate as the rail does not “guard” and cannot be relied upon to completely guard or restrain a vehicle, and thus the term guiderail is preferred. These arguments seem silly and resulting from an overly litigious society, regardless the terms guiderail and guardrail are used interchangeably herein

A conventional guardrail system includes a plurality of rails secured to a plurality of support posts made of wood or steel. The rail is a generally horizontal metal member raised above the ground to bumper height extending generally along the guarded roadway, and is also commonly referenced as a guiderail, guardrail and beam. The support posts represent the foundational elements of the system and generally extend vertically. The most common type of rail is the corrugated sheet shown in figures. Other rail configurations such as thrice beams and box beams were also used. Support posts have been most commonly made of wood, metal or a combination of both.

A traditional guardrail system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,213, which is incorporated herein by reference, and consists of a rail which is attached to supporting posts via a spacer block. The spacer block holds the rail away from its supporting post so as to help prevent snagging of an impacting vehicle’s wheels on the posts. Various types of spacer blocks, also called block-outs, spacers, positioning blocks and the like, are commercially available, including wood blocks, steel I-beam sections, and also blocks formed of elastomeric materials, such as is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,560, which is incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat Nos. 6,007,269; 6,168,346; 6,758,627; 7,234,687 also disclose guardrail support posts, attachments and positioning spacer blocks used for positioning of a corrugated guardrail on posts during installation and thereafter.

The trend has been toward using steel support posts, rather than wooden support posts, due to savings in material cost, installation costs, durability, reliability, and maintenance. Steel posts, also called I-beams, H-beams and W-beams, are typically installed by driving the posts directly into the ground. Steel posts also can be treated to slow the effects of environmental exposure from rust and the like. The rail is attached to the supporting post generally via a spacer blocks, or block-out members. The separate block out members of the prior art systems will add costs to the overall system and increases the labor in assembly.

The state of the art in guardrail systems has been documented and applied through specifications used by the industry. The United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration provides “Standard Specifications for Construction of Roads and Bridges on Federal Highway Projects,” including a section for guardrails and support posts. Industry groups such as the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials AASHTO, the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America, and the American Road & Transportation Builders Association ARTBA have developed “A Guide to Standardized Highway Barrier Hardware” that included specifications for guardrails and posts. These specifications also generally teach a guardrail system having a guardrail bolted to a large wood post or a large w-beam steel post. In general, in the past, larger posts in guardrail systems better withstood impact forces to redirect a vehicle along the direction of the roadway.

The patent literature is helpful in illustrating the state of the art of guiderail systems and associated components. U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,807,536 and 8,353,499 and U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2014-0319441, which are all incorporated herein by reference, all disclose roadway guardrail systems including a rail having a plurality of mounting apertures, a plurality of support posts each having a slot extending along a portion of the length of the post such that upon a vehicle impact with the rail the associated fasteners are adapted to slide along the slot in the support post.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2014-0145132, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a guardrail system which includes a guardrail, a support post, and a fastener joining the guardrail and the support post, and a slot for the movement of the fastener during an impact. A fastener retention mechanism retains the fastener in the hole until a predetermined level of force is attained during an impact, after which the fastener is released and moves into the slot.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2014-0110651, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses guardrail system which includes a plurality of posts spaced apart along a longitudinal direction and a plurality of rail sections extending between and coupled to the spaced apart posts, and a cable extending along the longitudinal direction which is coupled to the rail sections and/or posts and is vertically spaced above the uppermost surface of the rail sections.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2014-0103278, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a guardrail system which is used for a highway, wherein, a guardrail is formed by PVC resin and has reinforcing bands fixed therein.

U.S. Pat. Pub. Nos. 2014-0008594, 2012-0205603, and 2011-0186795, are incorporated herein by reference, disclose a highway guardrail post (or foundation) which comprises an elongated one-piece roll-formed metal body including a front wall defining an attachment face, a pair of opposing side walls orthogonal to the front wall, a first pair of inverted corners respectively connecting the pair of side walls to the front wall, and a second pair of inverted corners respectively extending from the pair of side walls and terminating in a pair of spaced rear edges to define a rear access opening opposite the front wall. The guardrail posts may be manufactured by roll-forming a metal sheet or coil and cutting the roll-formed metal sheet or coil into lengths.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2012-0298943, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a highway guardrail post or foundation formed as a metal jacket composite post.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2006-0202182, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a guardrail system having a plurality of vertical support posts supporting a plurality of guardrail beams. Block-outs, also called spacer herein, are disclosed as being mounted between the guardrail beams and the posts to offset the posts from the guardrail beams. Separately, cable supporting posts are also disclosed.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2004-0086334, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a highway guardrail post formed as a laminated structure.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2003-0151038, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a guardrail support post that includes a continuous structural member having first and second generally parallel flanges, and a web forming a coupling between, and extending generally perpendicular to the first and second flanges. The first and second flanges include first and second cutouts, respectively, that occur within the mid portion and are operable to weaken the structural member about an axis generally perpendicular to the flanges without substantially weakening the structural member about an axis generally parallel to the flanges.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2003-0085394, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a guardrail system having a plurality of vertical support posts supporting a plurality of guardrail beams. Each post includes a pair of flanges having free edge portions with edge folds defining tubular beads on the free edge portions to provide reinforcement and desired to utilize a minimum amount of material usage for the posts. Block-outs, also called spacer herein, are disclosed as being mounted between the guardrail beams and the posts to offset the posts from the guardrail beams.

Solar panel arrays, like all structures, require foundational supports. A ground mounted solar panel array is a system of solar panels that are mounted on the ground rather than on the roof of buildings. For general background on supports for ground based solar panel arrays see 7,285,719, titled “Solar Array Support Methods and Systems”. Concrete foundations have long been used for supports for ground based solar panel arrays, however the concrete based foundations adds construction time as the concrete column must be excavated poured and cured before continuing construction. Metal foundations, such as H-beams and I-beams as used in guardrails, have been utilized as quick, effective ground based solar panel array foundations. The metal foundations also have grounding concerns due the electrical generation and conveyance of the solar panel array. It should be noted that concrete foundations also have electrical isolation concerns because these foundations typically include a metal pole mounted atop the concrete foundation. The costs of the foundations is also a concern as there is a need to drive down the overall cost of solar based electrical generation, and minimizing foundation construction time and costs is needed. Thus there is a need for cost effective, efficient, foundations or support posts for ground based solar panel arrays.

There remains a need for a cost effective, efficient, foundations or support posts for roadway guardrails, solar panel arrays and similar structures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a cost effective, efficient, foundation or support post for roadway guardrails, ground based solar panel arrays and for supporting other structures.

The terms foundation and support post are used generally interchangeably herein. Technically, the foundation is the portion of the post structure below the grade while the support post is the above grade portion (some embodiments of the invention include an integrated offset block or plate). Additionally, direction is helpful for describing the foundations of the present invention. The top of the foundation is the end above ground while the bottom is the end of the foundation below ground. The rear is the side away from the rail or structure mount (or other mount), generally away from the roadway in guardrail system applications; and the front is the side of the rail or structure mount, generally facing the roadway in guardrail system applications. Within the meaning of this application, the longitudinal direction of the posts or foundations is generally along a top-bottom axis while a lateral direction of the posts or foundations is generally along a rear-front axis.

One aspect of the present invention provides a one-piece plastic foundation, or support post, suitable for guardrails, ground based solar arrays and other structures which includes a main body that extends the longitudinal length of the foundation from a top to a bottom of the foundation; a rear flange extending at an angle from at least a longitudinal portion of the main body in a first direction at a rear edge of the main body; a front flange extending at an angle from a longitudinal portion of the main body in a direction opposite the first direction at a front edge of the main body; an integral offset block spacing plate coupled to a front edge of the main body above the front flange and extending laterally forward of the front flange; and a mounting flange extending at an angle from at least a longitudinal portion of the offset block spacing plate at a front edge of the offset spacing plate, wherein the mounting flange is configured for mounting of a guardrail or other structure.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a guardrail system comprising: a plurality of one piece plastic guardrail supporting posts, each post including i) a main body extending the longitudinal length of the foundation from a top to a bottom of the foundation; ii) a rear flange extending at an angle from at least a longitudinal portion of the main body in a first direction at a rear edge of the main body; iii) a front flange extending at an angle from a longitudinal portion of the main body in a direction opposite the first direction at a front edge of the main body; iv) an integral offset block spacing plate coupled to a front edge of the main body above the front flange and extending laterally forward of the front flange; and v) a mounting flange extending at an angle from at least a longitudinal portion of the offset block spacing plate at a front edge of the offset spacing plate; and at least one guardrail section secured to each mounting flange of each guardrail supporting post.

One aspect of the present invention provides a one-piece plastic foundation comprising: a main body extending the longitudinal length of the foundation from a top to a bottom of the foundation; a rear flange extending from at least a longitudinal portion of the main body in a first direction at a rear edge of the main body; a front flange extending at an angle from a longitudinal portion of the main body in a direction opposite the first direction at a front edge of the main body, wherein the front flange is substantially parallel to the rear flange; an integral offset spacing plate coupled to a front edge of the main body above the front flange and extending laterally forward of the front flange; and a mounting flange extending at an angle from at least a longitudinal portion of the offset spacing plate at a front edge of the offset spacing plate.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be clarified in the description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention described below in connection with the attached figures in which like reference numerals represent like elements throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a one piece plastic z-base foundation for ground based solar panel arrays or similar structures according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the foundation of FIG. 1 with the structure mount removed for clarity according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a one-piece plastic z-base foundation with integral offset plate used in the guardrail system according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the foundation of FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a one-piece plastic z-base foundation with integral offset plate according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the foundation with integral offset plate shown in FIG. 5 .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-2 illustrate a one piece plastic z-based foundation or foundation support 80 for ground based solar panel arrays or similar structures according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specifically the foundation support 80 is a one-piece, Z-shaped one piece plastic foundation 80. The foundation 80 includes a main body 82 extending the longitudinal length of the foundation 80 from a top to a bottom of the foundation 80. The reference to Z-base or z-based reference the orientation of the front flange, main body and rear flange in plan view that form a Z-shape which is present in all embodiment of the present invention.

The plastic for forming the foundation support 80 of the invention is preferably a fiber reinforced resin, also known as a fiber reinforced polymer. The typical fibers are most commonly glass ((e-glass fibers) although basalt thread is becoming cost effective. Basalt is volcanic rock and basalt threads are essentially formed from melted extruded basalt formed into fibers that combine into plys forming the thread. Most basalt threads are one or two plys. Carbon fibers, although possible, tend to be too costly for the applications of the present invention, and aramid fibers are also possible but tend to be sensitive to environmental conditions that can limit manufacturing. The polymer typically used is polyester and vinyl ester, each of which can supply the mechanical properties in a fiber reinforced resin for the present applications. Vinyl ester exhibits some increased structural properties over polyesters but with increased costs, but polyester and vinyl ester both can be cost effective for the present invention. Polyurethanes can also be used, with added structural characteristics, but much more cost than vinyl esters and generally not a cost effective solution for the present invention. Epoxy resins are also possible but generally not economically viable for the present applications.

The foundation 80 of the present invention is preferably formed via a pultrusion process. Pultrusion is a continuous process for manufacture of fiber-reinforced plastics with constant cross-section. The term is a portmanteau word, combining “pull” and “extrusion”. As opposed to extrusion, which pushes the material, pultrusion pulls the material. Pultrusion technology of manufacturing of fiber composites with polymer matrix appears to be energy-efficient and resource-saving.

The foundation 80 includes a single rear flange 84 extending at an angle, preferably perpendicular, to the main body 82 in a first direction at a rear edge of the main body 82, wherein the single rear flange 84 does not extend past the main body 82 in the direction opposite the first direction.

The foundation 80 includes a single front flange 86 extending at an angle, preferably perpendicular, to the main body 82 in the direction opposite the first direction at a front edge of the main body 82, wherein the single front flange 86 does not extend past the main body 82 in the first direction.

The foundation 80 includes a plurality of mounting holes 88 at the top of the one-piece plastic foundation 80 configured for attachment to the structure mount 100 to be supported. A pair of elongated oval shaped mounting holes in the main body 82 extending at an angle relative to elongated mounting holes on the associated structure mount 100 give adjustment in two directions for the coupling of the foundation 80 to the structure mount 100 (i.e. horizontal adjustment along mounting holes 88 and vertical adjustment along mounting holes in the structure mount 100).

In the one one-piece plastic z-based foundation 80 according to FIGS. 1-2 , it is preferred that the rear flange 84 and the front flange 86 extend substantially parallel to each other and having them extend substantially perpendicular to the main body 82 is preferred.

The one-piece plastic foundation 80 according to FIGS. 1-2 preferably provides a bottom of the main body 82 which is beveled and wherein a bottom of the rear flange 84 and the front flange 86 are beveled. This construction assists in installation of the foundation 80.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a guardrail system 110 utilizing a one-piece plastic z-base or z-based foundation or post 120 with integral offset plate 128 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The roadway guardrail system 110 as presently disclosed will generally dissipate a portion of an impacting vehicle’s energy and enable an impacting vehicle to be redirected by the system 110. The roadway guardrail system 110 may be installed adjacent a roadway, such as along median strips, roadway shoulders, or any other path that is likely to encounter vehicular traffic.

The guardrail system 110 includes plurality of guardrail supporting posts 120 spaced conventionally along a roadside or other desired location. The plastic for forming guardrail supporting posts 120 of the invention is preferably a fiber reinforced resin, also known as a fiber reinforced polymer, as discussed above in connection with foundation 80. Each one piece plastic z-based post 120 includes i) a main body 122 extending the longitudinal length of the foundation from a top to a bottom of the foundation; ii) a rear flange 124 extending at an angle from at least a longitudinal portion of the main body 122 in a first direction at a rear edge of the main body 122; iii) a front flange 126 extending at an angle from a longitudinal portion of the main body 122 in a direction opposite the first direction at a front edge of the main body 122; iv) an integral offset spacing plate 128 coupled to a front edge of the main body 122 above the front flange 126 and extending laterally forward of the front flange 126; and v) a mounting flange 130 extending at an angle from at least a longitudinal portion of the offset spacing plate 128 at a front edge of the offset spacing plate 128. The guardrail supporting posts 120 of the present invention is preferably formed via a pultrusion process that is slightly modified from the basic pultrusion process to accommodate the offset plate and associated structure.

The guardrail system 110 includes least one guardrail section 16 secured to each mounting flange 130 of each one piece plastic guardrail supporting post 120. The guiderail system 110 is analogous to the prior art in that the posts 120 are placed in the ground (or grade) 14 at fixed distances (such as 6 feet).

The corrugated guiderail 16 is generally galvanized steel of 2.74 mm-3 mm thick, and generally in standard lengths and widths, e.g. 12-ft, 6-in steel corrugated rail sections 16 and conforming to set standards, such as Standards: JT/T 281-1995, AASHTO M-180, RAL-RG620, SPS98S, or any other International Standards. Instead of hot dip galvanized, the rail sections 16 may be coated with PVC. The guiderail 16 may also be a thrice-beam (or sometimes called a thrie-beam) shape or other known desired energy dissipating shape. The rail sections 16 may be spliced together along the guardrail system 110 in the same manner as the prior art guardrail systems and coupled to the posts 120 using the same fasteners as rail sections 16 are coupled to the I-beam posts of the prior art. An alternative version of the present invention is to form the corrugated guiderail 16 as a fiber reinforced plastic structure formed via pultrusion. The fiber reinforced plastic rail section 16 version of the invention may have additional regulatory hurdles in implementation than the steel guiderail 16 used with the plastic support posts 120. The use of the support posts 120 requires the demonstration of desired structural fitness for implementation in most federal and state applications, while the use of the alternative fiber reinforced plastic guiderail 16 can require even further testing in select jurisdictions.

The installation and repair of the guardrail system 110 of the present invention yields a significant labor savings over the guardrail systems of the prior art in that only the rail members 16 need to be aligned with the mounting flanges 130 of posts 120 rather than the prior art need to align the spacer block with the post (then perform a sub-assembly step) and then align the rail members with the spacer block.

The key feature of the guardrail system 110 is the cost effective, efficient, foundation or support post 120. The terms foundation and support post are used generally interchangeably herein with the foundation 120. As noted above, it is often proper to mention that the foundation is the portion of the structure of the post 120 below the grade 14 while the “support post” is the above grade portion of the post 120. Additionally, direction is helpful for describing the foundations 120 of the present invention. The top of the foundation 120 is the end above ground 14 while the bottom is the beveled end (bevel portions 132 and 134) of the foundation 120 below ground 14. The rear of foundation 120 is the side away from the rail mount or mounting flange 128, generally away from the roadway in guardrail system 110 applications. The front of the foundation 120 is the side of, or the side with, the mounting flange 130, generally facing the roadway in guardrail system 110 applications. Within the meaning of this application, the longitudinal direction of the posts or foundations 120 is generally along a top-bottom axis while a lateral direction of the posts or foundations 120 is generally along a rear-front axis.

The foundation 120 is designed for guardrail systems 110 but is not limited to this use. The foundations 120 provide convenient, efficient and effective foundations for mounting other structures, such as solar panel arrays, power transmission structures, and other structures.

The main body 122 of the foundation 120 extends the longitudinal length of the foundation 120 from the top to the bottom of the foundation 120. The bottom of the main body 122 may have bevels 132 extending laterally across to assist in the installation of the foundation 120 as it is driven into the ground 14. Additionally the bottom end of the main body 122 may be beveled across the thickness to assist in installation. The lateral distance (or width) front to rear of the main body 122 will be designed to accommodate the necessary strength requirements of the post 120. The longitudinal length of the main body 122 will be the same as the overall longitudinal length of the post 120 and will also be designed to accommodate the necessary strength requirements of the post 120, and may vary depending upon soil type. If desired the main body 122 may include apertures to form a break-away structures.

The foundation 120 includes a rear flange 124 extending at an angle, generally perpendicular, to the main body 122 in a first direction at a rear edge of the main body 122. Generally the rear flange 124 will be parallel to but extending in opposite directions from the mounting flange 130 and the front flange 126, as shown in FIG. 4 . This parallel mounting of flanges 124, 126 and 130 will generally align with the direction of the rail sections 16. The rear flange 124 of the foundation 120 extends the longitudinal length of the foundation 120 from the top to the bottom of the foundation 120 along the main body 122. The bottom of the rear flange 124 also has a bevel 134 extending laterally across the flange to assist in the installation of the foundation 120 as it is driven into the ground 14. Additionally, the bottom end of the rear flange 124 may be beveled across the thickness to assist in installation. The width of the rear flange 124 (from the rear edge of the main body 122 to the distal end of the flange 124) will be designed to accommodate the necessary strength requirements of the post 120. The longitudinal length of the rear flange 124 will be the same as the overall longitudinal length of the post 120.

The foundation 120 includes a front flange 126 extending at an angle generally perpendicular, to the main body 122 in a direction opposite the first direction of the rear flange 124, at a front edge of the main body 122. As noted above, generally the front flange 126 will be parallel to the mounting flange 130 and the rear flange 124, as shown in FIG. 4 , and generally align with the direction of the rail sections 16. The front flange 126 of the foundation 120 extends from the bottom of the foundation 120 along the main body 122 to adjacent the offset 128. The bottom of the front flange 126 also has a bevel 134 extending laterally across the flange 126 to assist in the installation of the foundation 120 as it is driven into the ground 14. Additionally the bottom end of the front flange 126 may be sharpened or beveled across the thickness to assist in installation. The width of the front flange 126, from the front edge of the main body 122 to the distal end of the flange 126, will be designed to accommodate the necessary strength requirements of the post 120. The longitudinal length of the front flange 126 will be less than the overall longitudinal length of the post 120 by the longitudinal length of offset 128.

The foundation 120 includes an integral offset spacing plate 128 coupled to a front edge of the main body 122 above the front flange 126 and extending laterally forward of the front flange 126. Generally the integral offset spacing plate 128 will be co-planar with the main body 122 and generally perpendicular to the mounting flange 130, the front flange 126 and the rear flange 124, as shown in FIG. 4 , and generally perpendicular with the direction of the rail sections 16. The integral offset spacing plate 128 of the foundation 120 extends from the top of the foundation 120 along the main body 122 to the slot 138 adjacent the front flange 126. The lateral distance of the integral offset spacing plate 128, from the front edge of the main body 122 to the flange 130, will be designed to accommodate the necessary offset of the rail 16 from the lower portions of the post 120, but typically will be the similar lengths of blocks 18 of the prior art. The longitudinal length of the integral offset spacing plate 128 will be from the top of the foundation 120 to adjacent the front flange 126.

The post 120 includes the mounting flange 130 extending at an angle from at least a longitudinal portion of the offset spacing plate 128 at a front edge of the offset spacing plate 128. As noted above, generally the mounting flange 130 will be parallel to the front flange 126 and the rear flange 124, as shown in FIG. 3 , and generally align with the direction of the rail sections 16. The mounting flange 130 of the foundation 120 extends from the top of the foundation 120 along the offset plate 128. The width of the mounting flange 130, from the front edge of the offset plate 128 to the distal end of the flange 130, will be designed to accommodate the necessary strength requirements of the mounting of rail 16 to the post 120. The longitudinal length of the mounting flange 130 will be the overall longitudinal length of offset 128.

The foundation 120 is not limited for use with guardrails but is well suited for ground based solar arrays. Consider, for example the embodiment of the foundation 120 shown in FIGS. 5-7 . FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a one-piece plastic z-based foundation 120 with integral offset plate 128 according to another embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the foundation 120 with integral offset plate shown 128 in FIG. 5 . The foundation 120 of FIGS. 5-6 is identical to the foundation 120 of FIGS. 3-4 discussed above (formed with the same material in the same general process) except the angle of the mounting flange 130 relative to vertical. As shown this flange 130 is angled relative to vertical as best shown in FIG. 5 . The angled mounting flange 130 of this embodiment makes the foundation well suited for other applications, such as for solar panel array foundations. Of course it still can be used for guardrail rail sections 16, as shown, but the possibility of angling the flange 130 to a desired mounting angle greatly increases the versatility of the foundation 120.

The plastic for forming the foundation 120 of the invention is preferably a fiber reinforced resin, also known as a fiber reinforced polymer, analogous to the foundation 80. The typical fibers are most commonly glass ((e-glass fibers) although basalt thread, as noted above, is becoming cost effective. The polymer typically used for foundation 120, like foundation 80, is polyester and vinyl ester, each of which can supply the mechanical properties in a fiber reinforced resin for the foundation 120 (or foundation 80). Polyurethanes can also be used, with added structural characteristics, and may be more suitable for certain applications of foundation 120 than foundation 80 above. Epoxy resins are also possible but generally not economically viable for the present applications for either foundation 80 or 120 in most applications.

The foundation 120, like foundation 80, of the present invention is preferably formed via a modified pultrusion process, modified for the offset and mounting plate formation. The modified process is sometimes referenced as “pulforming” which allows for the variation in cross section. Pultrusion technology (including pulforming) of manufacturing of fiber composites with polymer matrix yields an energy-efficient and resource-saving process.

The foundations 80 and 120 of the invention are well suited for use as foundations for ground based solar arrays due to their cost effective nature, ease of installation, and electrical insulating properties. The foundations 80 and 120 include a continuous plastic planar “bearing surface” across the top with the side flanges giving some bearing surface on either side of the main body bearing surface for stability in vertical driving of the foundation allowing the foundation to be easily and effectively driven into place.

It is apparent that many variations to the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present invention is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereto. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A one-piece plastic foundation comprising: A main body extending the longitudinal length of the foundation from a top to a bottom of the foundation; A rear flange extending at an angle from at least a longitudinal portion of the main body in a first direction at a rear edge of the main body; A front flange extending at an angle from a longitudinal portion of the main body in a direction opposite the first direction at a front edge of the main body; An integral offset spacing plate coupled to a front edge of the main body above the front flange and extending laterally forward of the front flange; and A mounting flange extending at an angle from at least a longitudinal portion of the offset spacing plate at a front edge of the offset spacing plate.
 2. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 1 wherein the rear flange and the front flange extend substantially perpendicular to the main body.
 3. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 2 wherein the offset spacing plate is substantially co-planar with the main body.
 4. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 3 wherein the mounting flange extends substantially perpendicular to the offset spacing plate and wherein the mounting flange is configured for mounting of a guardrail.
 5. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 4 wherein the rear flange extends for the entire longitudinal length of the main body.
 6. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 5 wherein the mounting flange extends for the entire longitudinal length of the offset plate.
 7. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 6 wherein the bottom of the main body is beveled.
 8. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 7 wherein the bottom of the main body is beveled in both a lateral direction of the main body and across a thickness of the main body.
 9. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 7 wherein a bottom of the rear flange and the front flange are beveled.
 10. A one-piece plastic z-based foundation comprising: A main body extending the longitudinal length of the foundation from a top to a bottom of the foundation; A rear flange extending from at least a longitudinal portion of the main body in a first direction at a rear edge of the main body; A front flange extending at an angle from a longitudinal portion of the main body in a direction opposite the first direction at a front edge of the main body, wherein the front flange is substantially parallel to the rear flange; An integral offset spacing plate coupled to a front edge of the main body above the front flange and extending laterally forward of the front flange; and A mounting flange extending at an angle from at least a longitudinal portion of the offset spacing plate at a front edge of the offset spacing plate.
 11. A one-piece plastic z-based foundation comprising: A main body extending the longitudinal length of the foundation from a top to a bottom of the foundation; A single rear flange extending at an angle from the main body in a first direction at a rear edge of the main body, wherein the single rear flange does not extend past the main body in the direction opposite the first direction; and A single front flange extending at an angle from the main body in the direction opposite the first direction at a front edge of the main body, wherein the single front flange does not extend past the main body in the first direction.
 12. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 11 wherein the single rear flange and the single front flange extend substantially perpendicular to the main body.
 13. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 12 further including an offset spacing plate substantially co-planar with the main body.
 14. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 13 wherein a mounting flange extends substantially perpendicular to the offset spacing plate and wherein the mounting flange is configured for mounting of a guardrail.
 15. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 14 wherein the single rear flange extends for the entire longitudinal length of the main body.
 16. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 15 wherein the mounting flange extends for the entire longitudinal length of the offset plate.
 17. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 16 wherein the bottom of the main body is beveled.
 18. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 17 wherein the bottom of the main body is beveled in both a lateral direction of the main body and across a thickness of the main body.
 19. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 17 wherein a bottom of the rear flange and the front flange are beveled.
 20. The one-piece plastic foundation according to claim 11 wherein the bottom of the main body is beveled. 